Did Yeshua (Jesus) Keep Shabbat (the Sabbath)? Part 1 - Examining Matthew 12:1-8

The first mention of Shabbat in the B'rit Chadashah is in Matthew 12:  "At that time [Yeshua] went on the [Shabbat] day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the [Shabbat] day."

Yeshua answers:  "Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of [Elohim], and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the [Shabbat] the priests in the temple profane the [Shabbat], and are blameless?  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of man is L-rd even of the [Shabbat]."

Before we draw any serious conclusions from this story, let us break it down into parts and examine it in its cultural and historical background/context.

Larger Context

From this passage we see that Yeshua is arguing with the Pharisees.  What cannot be seen right away, though, is that Yeshua's teachings were very similar to the teaching of the Pharisees (see here for a comparison chart).  Since both observed the Torah (see here for more information), they could not have been arguing about whether or not the Torah should be kept.

"Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do"

First, what do the Pharisees mean by "lawful"?  It obviously points to some type of law, but what law is it?  It is not the Torah. Although HaShem commands us not to do any work on the Shabbat (see Exodus 20), the Torah does not delve much deeper into this subject, so it is left to determine how to define "work".

It was common in Pharisaical times to argue about the meaning and explanations of the laws and stories inside Torah (see here).  This is what Yeshua was doing.  He was not saying that the Shabbat should not be kept.  He was trying to tell the Pharisees that some of their interpretations (in the Mishnah, Talmud, etc.) weren't correct.

But does this mean that we are able to pick corn/grain on Shabbat?  Or is this not the correct conclusion?

"what David did"

In the following verses Yeshua gives an example:  David and his followers eating showbread reserved for priests (1 Samuel 21, Leviticus 24:5-9).  In the Tanach passage about David, we learn that he went to Abiathar the priest.  Apparently, there was no food for him and his 400 men to eat, so he sought help.

Upon closer examination, we see that there is a conflict of two laws in this situation.  Obeying one would mean disobeying the other.  The first law is on specifically mentioned in the Torah:

1. The showbread is holy, for Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 24:9)
2. Saving a life (derived from Leviticus 18:5)

If Abiathar did not give David and his men food, it was likely that they could die.  We also see from many other incidents in the Tanach and B'rit Chadashah (i.e. Rachab and the spies - Joshua 2) that saving a life takes precedence over almost all other laws in the Torah.

Conclusion

Saving a life is most important.  This was what Yeshua was telling the Pharisees.  He did not advocate breaking the commandment of keeping Shabbat.  Instead, He advocated mercy and compassion.